They laughed together as they wrapped up their lunchtime mess. They had managed to boil water over the fire to cook their pasta and heat up the sauce and have a nice meal together.
"Oh my gosh, don't let me have that much coffee again! I'm still so wired!" Fran laughed, as she wiped down the counter and set a few things in the now room-temperature fridge.
"No kidding! I might need to go for a walk or something and burn some of it off. I might go a little stir-crazy!" He smiled at her and she laughed.
"Well, why don't we do that later? It's getting nice outside now. But let's give it a while, that lunch was a little heavy."
"Sure, we can do that. Well, why don't we go up on the roof and enjoy the breeze out there? It's a bit stuffy in here without any air circulating. That and the fireplace- it's a bit much."
"Yeah. Okay, let's grab some water and close up that fireplace. Oh, and grab the binoculars again, too. Let's see if we can see anything going on around here."
"Alright," Max said. He headed for the fireplace and Fran reached into the freezer to grab some water bottles, then Max picked up the binoculars and they headed to the stairwell up to the roof. They were both so happy, and they bounced up the stairs and out through the door to the roof. The sun was shining and the clouds were breaking apart, and a soft breeze blew across the roof as they approached the table.
"That feels so nice!" Fran exclaimed. She stretched her arms out and closed her eyes, and Max watched as the wind swept through her hair. He felt a wave of warmth rush through him as he looked at her, and he couldn't help but blush. He was really enjoying this time with her.
"So, would you like to go down to the beach in a little while, too?" He asked.
"Yes! I'd like that a lot. That okay with you?"
"Sure, that's what we're here for! So, you want to go swimming, or just hang out on the beach?" She turned to look at him.
"We can put on our swimsuits, if that's what you mean," she smiled. "You up for a plunge?" Max laughed.
"Sure! Well, I guess that might depend on how cold the water is. But that might be nice. And it'll help us kill some time while we wait for them to fix the pole," he said.
Fran walked over to the table and hopped up on the edge of it to sit down. "Come here, you can get a pretty good view of everything from here," she said to him, gesturing for him to come join her. He walked over to her and sat down next to her on the table, and pulled a chair over with his foot to have something to rest his feet on. Fran let her legs dangle off the side of the table.
"It is really nice up here, with the sun coming out like this. I sure hope the bad weather is over, and we can enjoy being outside now," Max said.
"Yeah. I'm sure the kids are anxious to get to the beach and hang out. And I'm sure Brighton wants to get all that equipment out to try. We should make sure he gets good and worn out every day!"
"Yes, definitely! And the girls, too. Maybe one of these days here we can take them to one of the other beaches, too. One of the more public ones."
"You sure? You know Maggie'll be checking out every guy there. And Brighton every girl."
"Oh, yeah. Well, maybe it won't be so full during the week. They don't do a Spring Break here the same way we have back in the States. Maybe everyone will be busy at school or work, and there won't be anyone at the beaches."
"Well, except for more Americans…" Fran nudged him, then wrapped her arm around his. "But sure, we'll ask them if they want to do that. And see if Niles wants to. We need to see if we can give him a break when they get back here. I know there's a good chance they might have been driving him crazy with all of this chaos."
"I hope they haven't, they should know better. But yes, even if they were well behaved, he's been doing an awful lot, looking out for them, and translating, I'm sure. I'll need to give him a bit of a bonus for all of that."
"Yeah, he'll appreciate that." She rested her head against Max's shoulder, and he picked up the binoculars to have a look at the boats on the water, and then further up the coast to see what he could see. There were more boats out now, even a few white sailboats. He could just barely see a ship far out on the horizon. As he followed the beach up the coast, he could see a few people walking out on the sand, but not many. He looked into the village, then further down along the outer roads. He could see at least two large white utility trucks, one with a cherry picker up in the air at a utility pole.
"It looks like they're doing repairs on the lines up that way, too. But that pole looks fine. Maybe they'll come here next."
"Oh, good! I wasn't sure how fast they got to things like that around here. Gosh, I hope the kids are doing okay. I don't like not being able to talk to them."
"Neither do I. I'm sure they're fine, though. Maybe a little antsy, especially if they can't do very much where they are. If they want to spend a lot of time at the beach when they come back, I think it would be good to let them."
"As long as they have a lot of sunscreen on. I don't want anybody ruining their trip with a bad sunburn. Including you, mister!" She nudged him again.
"And you, too. We'll see if there's a big umbrella or something we might be able to bring down there for some shade. And chairs, too."
"Okay."
They were quiet for a while as they looked out over the ocean, and at the thinning clouds and blue sky.
"Hey-" she said, and tugged gently on his arm.
"Hm?" He asked, looking down at her her, her arm intertwined with his own.
"We've been talking so much about me and my work and all, but how have things been going with you? You haven't talked to me much about work in a while."
"My work? Well… things have been going pretty well, overall. The play's been running well. And the ticket sales have been going nicely. The presales for the summer are doing well. So I think so far things look really good through the end of summer."
"Oh, that's good to hear! Have you been working on anything else? Have you had time to?"
"Well, I was in preliminary negotiations with another producer to possibly do some holiday shows later this year. But nothing's settled with that, and I have to admit- it's just not sounding so appealing to me."
"Really? I thought you liked doing that sort of thing- doing things for Christmas."
"Well, it's fine, I suppose. I mean, having a holiday show. But with these, it would mean I would have to stay in the city and work through all of that- through the holidays. We wouldn't be able to go out of town at all. I guess that's the part that wasn't sounding so appealing. I mean, we can have Christmas at home, that's fine. But if everyone wanted to take a trip somewhere- I couldn't do that if I do these productions. I've sort of been turning it over in my mind whether or not it's worth it. Maybe my time would be better spent doing something else."
"What would you do? Is your play gonna be running that long? Through the Christmas season?"
"Well, I hope so. If the summer goes well, then yes, absolutely. But I need other things down the line to be ready to go into production if need be, and it's a bit of a dry spell right now. We haven't seen any good scripts in quite a while, and what we have seen just seems to be rehashing everything that's been done before. I haven't seen anything unique or that stirs anything in me. It's a bit frustrating. I've even been keeping an eye out on new novels and short stories to see if there might be anything I could possibly option- to be turned into a play or a musical. But nothing so far."
Fran rubbed his arm and thought a moment. "Could you write something yourself?" She asked softly.
Max leaned back a little from her so he could look at her and see if she was being serious. "Me, write something?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Sure, why not? You know what kinds of things you're looking for, and you're a good writer. You just need to take the time to focus on it, and not get so caught up in the business like you usually do. I bet you could come up with something good." She smiled at him.
"Oh, I don't know about that. I couldn't write a musical, that's for sure."
"But you can write a story. That's the important part. You've got stories in you. And you can make up things to add to them. You just need a location or two, some characters, and something for the characters to get into. Right?" Max looked at her and thought about what she said, then turned to look back out over the ocean in front of them. He reached for her hand and held it.
"I don't know…" he said, still contemplating how he might go about doing that. Could he? Did he really have some stories in him that he could draw from? He wondered.
"It's just an idea. But I do think you should think about it. It might be a good experience for you, too, even if you didn't end up using what you wrote for one of your productions. But maybe- even if you aren't sure of a whole story to tell, maybe just start with some scenes. If you see something that might look good on a stage, or be really funny. Maybe take some notes and then you can sit down and see if you can write out a scene."
Max smiled. He really enjoyed how these kinds of ideas just seemed to pop into Fran's head. "Maybe. Maybe I could give it a try. I'm always writing notes on productions we're working on- little things I may want changed or notes about the writing I might want worked on. I suppose it wouldn't be a whole lot different than that. And I like your idea about starting with scenes. That might be a little fun to try. Maybe I will. Maybe I will try that. Thank you, Fran. Thank you for suggesting that. I like how your mind works, you know?" He smiled at her, then kissed the back of her hand.
"Really? Aw! I don't know what made me think of it. But I have thought for a while that you might be good at writing something of your own. And if nothing else, maybe it will help you see some of the scripts you read in a different way. Maybe by writing things yourself, you'll see something in someone else's script, and if it's not put together so well, maybe you'll see some ways to make it better, and maybe make it good enough." She stroked his hand and smiled at him, then he let go of her hand and stretched his arm over her shoulders. He rested his head against hers.
"Thank you," he said softly. She patted his knee, and felt a rush of happiness wash through her. They sat there together for a while, enjoying each other's company and how they finally had the time to physically comfort each other. They both really needed it.
Suddenly, they heard a voice yelling somewhere nearby. It was a woman's voice, and they both thought they heard the voice say Sheffield. They looked at each other, confused, then looked around, and then behind them. They suddenly saw two women up on the road, waving their arms at them.
"Monsieur Sheffield!" One woman called again, with her hands making a sort of megaphone around her mouth.
"Oh!" They exclaimed in unison. Max jumped off the table, then helped Fran down, and he ran over to the edge of the roof and waved back at the two women, then motioned that he would come downstairs and would come to them.
"Is that the agent?" Fran asked.
"Yes. We need to see what they want. Are you coming, too?"
"Sure, but I won't understand anything you guys are saying!"
"That's perfectly alright, I'll translate as best I can." He grabbed her hand and they hurried back into the house and down the stairs, then out the front door. Max held onto her hand as they hurried up the grassy slope towards the creek and the women on the other side. Max waved again, said hello loudly over the rushing water and introduced himself to the second woman, then introduced Fran to both of them. He began a disjointed conversation with the women, with lots of arms waving and pointing and heads nodding. Fran stood there listening and looking back and forth at them, not understanding anything they said. The police car sat nearby, but now it held a different man in it. The man got out and came over to join them, and seemed to be explaining things to the women. They heard a loud noise down the road towards the farm fields, making the policeman turn and look to see what it was. It was a large utility truck with a cherry picker, headed their way. The man exclaimed and pointed, and they all looked over to see the truck.
"Is that for us?" Fran asked. "Is that one coming to fix our pole?"
"I think that's part of the crew. He said something about 'trucks,' like there's more than one coming. Oh, and they saw Niles and the children. They're fine. I was telling them what happened last night, that lightning hit the pole and knocked the phone and the power out. I think the owner was a little worried the lines at the house might be damaged. She wants to make sure they check that before they turn the power back on to the house."
"Oh, okay."
The utility truck parked on the other side of the police car and a man got out and walked over to the policeman, and the two women hurried over to join him in the conversation. Max gave Fran's hand a squeeze as they watched as the utility worker seemed to be trying to settle the owner's nerves. Max could only Make out bits of conversation, but not enough to make much sense.
"Oh, I mentioned to them that I wanted to compensate that shop owner for looking after the others for the night. I think the owner wants to refund at least a night, so I'll tell her to just pay him instead."
"That's good! Oh I hope this guy can give them a time frame for how long this will take. But I'm glad somebody's finally here, hopefully to start working on it."
"Yes, definitely." They watched the rest of the conversation the women had with the men, then they hurried back to talk to Max. They pointed and moved their arms back and forth and smiled, and Max thanked them and clapped his hands with relief. As they wrapped up their conversation, another, smaller utility truck headed towards them from the village, stunning everyone. The owner hurried over to the driver and spoke with him, then hurried back, and told them what he said. Max repeated a few words, making sure he understood everything she said, and they all nodded and smiled. Fran heard Max say fantastique! So she knew it must be good news.
"What is it, Max? What are they saying?!" Fran tugged at his arm.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Ah, apparently the flooded road down that way- the one that was keeping the cars from going through- the water is going down. He was able to get his truck through it, so it shouldn't be long before the other vehicles are allowed through. The man with the smaller truck is here to remove the damaged pole and dig a hole for the new one, and the big truck will sort out the utility lines. There's supposed to be another truck that will bring a new utility pole, but these roads are narrow so I don't know how it will get over here exactly. But they can start work now! Isn't that fantastic! Maybe the bridge will be clear soon."
"Oh, that's great!" Fran said, looking back and forth between the men and their vehicles. Max said a few more words to the owner and the agent, and then they turned and started walking back towards the village, all smiles. Max looked at the work the men would have to start doing, then looked at the lines that lay across the side of the gravel driveway and hung from the house. The policeman was talking to both workers, and then waved at Max and Fran and hurried over to talk to them. He pointed back and forth at the trucks, checked his watch, and Max said oui several times, then checked his watch. He said merci twice and grinned, waved goodbye to the policeman, and gave him a thumbs up.
"Okay, darling! Things are happening! You ready to hit the beach?" He asked, as he turned her around and they started walking back to the house.
"Sure, but what did he say? What was all that last stuff about?"
"Oh yes, so- there's another truck coming with the new utility pole, it's coming from the other direction because I think they said it has a long trailer, and they don't think they can get it through the village. But first, the one man will cut down and get rid of all the debris from the broken pole, and I imagine the other man will have to detach everything from it- the utility lines. Then the guy will dig a new hole in the ground there so they can put the new pole right in. Somehow, they have to fit that third truck over here. I don't know how they're going to do that. But then they'll get the pole put up, and the cherry picker truck goes to work getting everything connected back up there. The policeman said he can't let anyone try to come over the bridge yet, at least not until after the new pole is up and all the lines are back up and off the ground, but he gave me a window for about how long they said it should take them- about two hours, maybe a little more. When the road is cleared, he said he would run over to the shop to let Niles know they can come back. So maybe they can run and grab groceries then, that might add a bit more time before they get back here. But they should be back by the middle of the afternoon! Maybe earlier! That's not so bad, is it?" Max exclaimed, and opened the front door for Fran.
"That's fantastic! I can't wait to see them!" She hugged Max right as they came in the door and Max shut it behind him. "Hey- do you have your camera? We should take pictures of the trucks working, just to remember all that. And then we can get pictures when Niles and the kids all come back!"
"True! yes. I'll get my camera out. So… time for swimsuits?"
"Yes! I'll meet you back out here, okay?" She said, beaming with excitement.
"Alright."
"Oh, Max?"
"Yes?"
"Maybe all this is something you could write down. A little bit of drama and chaos, and it was kind of funny watching you guys trying to talk, with your arms flying all over and your heads nodding!" Max laughed out loud.
"Okay, maybe I will! Maybe I will." He grinned at her as they headed for the hallway. Fran parted from Max at his bedroom door. "See you in a little bit," he said, as he watched her walking away.
"You got it!"

"Here, let me help you with that," Max said, as Fran fumbled with the large umbrella she was trying to set up over their folding lounge chairs.
"Thank you! It caught a breeze." Max took hold of the umbrella and set it up on its stand and opened it up. They moved both of their chairs underneath it, spread out their towels, and sat down, stretching out their legs in front of them. Max sighed out loud and leaned back in the chair.
"It's so nice out here now! You'd never know there was a storm last night," he said.
"Oh, I know! You picked a nice place. It's gonna be a good vacation, Max." She looked over at him and smiled. Max smiled at her, and was glad he remembered to put on his sunglasses, because it was very hard not to look her over when she had her bikini on.
"We need to remember to take some photos before we go back to the house. And before we get soaking wet," he grinned.
"Soaking wet?! I might go dip my feet in the water, but I wasn't planning on a swim!" She swatted at him playfully.
"No? Aw! But it'll be nice. The water might be a little cold, but the sun's nice and warm. I don't want to swim by myself."
"Were you really going to swim? I don't want you going out too far, that makes me nervous!"
"Well, I won't go out that far. Depends on the waves. I don't want to come all the way here and not get in the water though."
"I won't stop you from getting in the water, just be careful. And you know I'm not much for swimming. And if there's any seaweed or fish or anything that show up, I'm outta there!"
Max laughed. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." He grinned again. She smiled and rested her head back against the chair and they both looked out over the water and the low waves crashing on the beach.
"So, was there anything in particular you wanted to do while we're here? Or do you just want to mostly stay here at the house, let the kids play on the beach?" She asked.
"Oh, there were a few things I was thinking of. I'd like to take everyone out to a nice restaurant for dinner. And I was thinking that maybe, if we could, maybe we could offer to take out that shopowner's family to dinner somewhere. Maybe if there's a restaurant in town big enough to hold all of us."
"Aw, that would be really nice! Yes, we should do that."
"And there was one other thing…"
Fran looked over at him. "What other thing?"
"I'd like to take you out to dinner, too. Just the two of us. And we only have a few nights now where we'd be able to make plans."
"You want to take me to dinner?"
"I do." He reached over for her hand and she clutched his fingers. "We're in the South of France, on the coast, on vacation. And after everything… everything we've talked about, I'd just like to take you someplace nice. I mean, I don't know what they might have for choices around here, but maybe we can find a nice place with some good food. Maybe some music."
"I'd like that. That would be nice." She squeezed his fingers and smiled at him. "Maybe when the others get back, maybe they can tell us if they saw anything nice in the village. Unless you want to go up to one of the other villages?"
"That's another thing, I was thinking if you and the others might want to take a trip up the coast tomorrow and see what we can see. Maybe find some other shops, and get lunch? See another beach. I'm sure the children will still want to get back here for some time at this beach. Would you be up for something like that?"
"Sure! That would be nice to get out and see more of this place. Especially since we've kind of been trapped here since we got here. Yeah. Let's do that. I'm sure the others will be fine with it, especially if there's food involved. And shopping." Max chuckled.
"Okay, then. We'll ask them. Maybe we can leave after breakfast and do some sightseeing, then find a nice place for lunch, and come back afterwards."
"Sounds good to me!"
"And maybe- if we're all having lunch together tomorrow, maybe you and I could go to dinner together tomorrow night? Because there will only be two more nights after that, and if we have a family dinner out somewhere, then if we can have one with the shop owner's family- that will be it."
"Oh yeah- we have to leave before dinnertime on friday, don't we?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so. Sometime in the afternoon. I don't think traffic will be an issue, from here to the airport. And we'll just be staying at the airport once we get to Paris. I need to check the layover there, maybe we can have a nice dinner at a restaurant in the airport before we get on the plane back to New York."
"That's a good idea. The kids won't complain about more food. Especially Brighton." They both laughed.
"Oh, and something else-" he smiled.
"What?"
"I call dibs on sitting with you on the flights. I didn't get to do that on the way here."
"Oh, I know! I'm really sorry about that, too. So yes, absolutely, you can sit with me on the way back."
"Good," he gave her fingers a squeeze. "So, you want to go check out the water?" He asked. She looked over at the waves, and then back at him.
"I suppose. You got enough sunscreen on?"
"Yes, I'm pretty sure. Unless you missed a spot on my back," he grinned.
"I didn't miss a millimeter of your back! And I don't think you missed a millimeter of mine, either!"
"I did not. And I'm pretty sure I got enough sunscreen on you, too…" He got up out of his chair and Fran laughed. He reached for her hand and helped her get up. They tossed their sunglasses onto their chairs.
"You flirt!" She laughed, swatting him. He took her hand and they walked through the sand towards the water, then caught their feet in a wave as it spread over the shore. "Oh! That is cold!" She squealed.
"It's alright. You'll get used to it. Let's walk a bit first. I'm sure our things will be fine if we leave them there. No one else is out here right now. It's just us."
"Okay. I'll walk with you."
They headed up the beach, hand in hand, letting the waves wash up over their feet as they walked. They looked down at the sand, then out at the ocean, and off into the distance in front of them. Fran looked back down at their feet as they splashed. Max glanced over at her feet, then quickly up her body to her face. He liked the expression she had as she playfully kicked her toes at the water. Her eyes seemed to smile, and the corners of her mouth were raised in the slightest of grins. Without her sunglasses on, her eyes sparkled. She noticed his glance and looked over at him. He smiled at her softly, and she pulled his arm closer to her with her other hand.
"I really like that look you have on your face," he said.
"What look?" She cocked her head to the side and they stopped walking.
"Your eyes are all lit up. Like your whole face is smiling. Like you're happy."
"I am happy, silly! I'm very happy." Max took her other hand in his.
"This is different. It looks different. A different kind of happy."
"Maybe it is different. I do feel a little different. This is different. Us, here, like this. It's nice."
"It is." Max looked back out over the ocean and the blue sky, then back to Fran. "You know, it really makes me happy when you're happy. Genuinely happy. Usually it's a more exuberant happy, and many times it worried me because I hoped you didn't just meet some other man, and that's why you acted that way. This isn't like that. It's a softer happy. More introspective, I guess. At least that's what it looks like on the outside." Fran looked up into his eyes, at how he was smiling softly at her. What was it he was seeing? A different kind of happiness? More introspective? Well, she had been thinking about everything they had talked about. She was thinking about him constantly. He was her best friend, and she was his. But it was more than that, of course. Maybe that's what he was seeing. She really was genuinely happy, and it came with a certain sense of certainty, with a deep sense of security. She knew how she felt about him.
"If I have a different kind of look on my face, there's a reason for it," she gave his hands a squeeze. "It feels like that big weight we've been carrying around is suddenly gone, and we get a chance to see what life could be like without it. I like that. Spending this time with you has made me happy. And seeing that worried expression gone from your face- that really makes me happy. I don't like seeing you worried, or stressed out, or sad. And I know I've been a big reason for you feeling that way. I guess that was my knee-jerk way of reacting to you when you'd get me all worked up. I'd do something stupid, not intentionally, or maybe not so unintentionally say something that would get you riled up. Maybe I just wanted your attention a little bit more." She chuckled a little. "Brighton would just splatter ketchup on his shirt and fake a suicide, I guess I had to find some buttons to push, too." Max laughed.
"I suppose we both did a bit of that. I liked it when you paid attention to me, too. Even if I acted like I didn't have time for you, I enjoyed your interruptions." They turned around and began walking back the way they came, but a little further into the water. Max stayed closer to the waves so they would crash against his legs first instead of hers.
"You know," Fran said, glancing over at him. "You look happy, too, in an 'introspective' sort of way. Do you feel different?"
Max thought for a moment. "I do. It does feel like that weight's gone. I'm glad we finally talked, about everything. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how all this goes- with you and the new job and all. But I'll definitely miss all those interruptions." He smiled at her and she beamed. "Now, come here. Let's get our suits wet!" He suddenly picked her up into his arms, making her squeal, and carried her further into the water. When he was over his waist in waves, he let go of her legs and she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to keep from going too deep in the water. The waves were fairly gentle, and Max jumped up with her as each one came in, keeping their heads and shoulders above the crests. "Too cold for you?" He asked, holding her tightly to him.
"It's cold, but not as bad as I thought it might be. But you'll protect me, won't you?" Their faces were mere inches from each other.
"Of course." They stayed in the water like that for several minutes, until a larger wave crashed hard nearby. "Whoa!" He said. "Let me get you back on land before one of those waves tries to knock our suits off!"
"Whoa! Hubba hubba! But yeah, a little too soon for that kind of a scene! And a little too cold!" They both laughed, and Max carried her closer to shore until her feet touched the sand again.
"Why don't you go get dried off and warmed up, I'm going for a quick swim!" She turned to watch him wave at her, then he ran back towards the waves and dove into one, then popped up from the other side.
"Be careful! Don't go out far! I mean it!" She yelled to him, crossing her arms in front of her chest as the breeze hit her wet body.
"I'm fine! I'll be careful!" He yelled back. Fran headed back to their chairs to get her towel, and turned back to look at him again and again. She knew he was a good swimmer, but the ocean always made her a little nervous. If anything happened, she wasn't sure she would be able to do much to help. She picked up her towel from her chair and wrapped it around her, and dried herself off. Then she saw Max's camera sitting on his towel, and reached over to pick it up. She took off the lens cap and wound it, and looked through the viewfinder to see if she could get a view of Max. She pulled out the telephoto lens to zoom in, and watched him through it as he jumped with each wave, then suddenly dove down into one, disappeared, and popped up on the other side. It made her heart stop until she saw him come up again. He was pushed back closer to shore by a wave and stood up, the water just at his hips. As he looked back at the rows of waves coming towards him, Fran took a picture, wound the film again, and quickly took another one. God, he's gorgeous! She thought. His torso was glistening from the water, and his muscles were tightened from the swim, and his wet hair was slicked back on his head. She moved the camera away from her eye and watched him dive again. She was really impressed, and he looked like he was having fun. She sat down in her lounge chair and got comfortable under the umbrella, and wound the camera again, just in case.
Max loved how the cold water woke him up- how it made him feel alive. He dove into another wave, touched the sand below with his fingers, then came back up for air. He jumped over a wave, then dove again into the next one. He felt the heavy whoosh of water rush across his legs, and he reached out to touch the sand again, then turned to swim to the surface. Another wave came over just then and pushed him to shore a little further, making him hold his breath a bit longer. He managed to stand up and caught his breath and stood there, watching the waves. He realized that the tide must be coming in, and thought he better be more careful with his dives or he'd upset Fran. He watched the waves closer until he saw a bigger gap, then dove once again straight into the rising face of one coming towards him. Instead of reaching for the sand, he swam straight ahead a little ways, then came up to the surface and rolled onto his back. He was in deeper water now, and couldn't touch the bottom. He tread water for a few minutes, keeping his head above the surface and rolled up and down with the crests and troughs of the waves. He turned back to look towards Fran and saw her watching him closely. He decided his swim had gone on long enough, and wanted to get back to Fran in case she was getting nervous. He kicked his feet and swam in with the waves until he could touch the bottom, then stood up and jogged out of the water. He ruffled his wet hair and walked back to Fran, who picked up his camera and snapped picture of him.
"Hey! I'm all wet!" He protested.
"I know!" She smiled. She tossed his towel to him and he caught it, then began to dry himself off. He moved his chair closer to hers and sat down, then continued drying his hair. "Have a good swim?" She asked.
"I did. That felt good, I haven't done that in a while. It's really invigorating!"
"Well, good! I still don't get it, but I'm glad it makes you feel good."
"Me too. Got a little exercise, anyway. I needed that."
"Good! I could use some, too, but not that kind. I'll have to do some more walking, and maybe some good stretching in the morning."
"Stretching? Do you usually do that?"
Fran looked at him. "Sometimes. You know, a little bit of yoga. Some other stretches. Especially if I still feel tired. It helps." Max imagined her in her pajamas, leaning over to stretch her back and her legs. "Speaking of exercise, have you been working out more? You look pretty good," she said, glancing at his chest again.
"I do? Oh, ah, thank you, yes, well… yes, I guess I was trying to get back into it, you know, since this vacation was coming up."
"Mmm hmm."
"What about you? You have to be doing more than stretching," he added.
"Well, sure. I put in some time when I can."
"On the Soloflex?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, sometimes. That works pretty good. What about you? You using the Soloflex?"
"Ah, yes, I have been borrowing it. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. It's clearly working." Fran glanced over him, then quickly turned away to look back out over the water. Max felt himself blush.
He lowered the back of his seat, and laid down. He put his sunglasses back on and closed his eyes, feeling the warm breeze blowing over him, and listened to the sound of the seagulls squawking nearby. He was really enjoying himself, and spending time with Fran.
Fran reached for her sunglasses, then looked back over Max before putting them on. She took a deep breath and quietly exhaled, and smiled. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him in her life. She knew they were still working on being best friends, but she had to admit she really like the flirting they were doing, too. They weren't in denial of how they felt about each other, but they both wanted to savor all of their time together. They didn't want to rush too fast. They didn't need to.
There was a lot of noise coming from near the bridge all of a sudden, but they couldn't see it from where they were. Fran listened for a moment.
"Oh- you think that noise is the guy digging that hole for the new pole?" Fran asked Max. He turned towards her and listened.
"I bet it is. If it's like a gas powered auger or something- I bet that could be what one of those sounds like. That's great! Another step closer to everyone coming back!"
"Yea! What time is it? Did you bring your watch?"
"No, I left it. I didn't want to get it wet, or sandy. We haven't been out here too long, though. They may still have to get that other truck over here- the one with the new pole."
"Oh yeah."
"You need more sunscreen on?" He lifted his sunglasses to look at her.
"I think I'm still good for a while. You might, though, with all those waves," she grinned.
"Maybe. But I think I'll stay here under this umbrella with you for a while, in the shade."
"Sounds good to me." She smiled. She reached over to take his hand and he took hold of it, and rested his arm across the low armrest of the chair. He rested his head back down on the chair, and Fran glanced over him fondly. "Max?"
"Mm hmm?"
"When we get home, will you have a lot of work you have to get back to? I mean, like are you gonna be busy a lot? And on weekends, too?" Max turned to look at her.
"Well, I don't suppose I'll be any more busy than usual. At least not right away. Why do you ask?"
"I was just hoping we'd be able to have time together, you know? It'll be strange, me being gone during the day. And I know you might still be working when I get home. And when the kids get home, too. I would really like to be able to have lunch with you if we can do that. I might not be able to come back to the house, depending on how things go. And I don't know how much time I'll have for lunch. But could we do something like that?"
"Of course we can. I want that, too. And I want to take you out as much as I can. Anytime we can find to spend together, I'd like to spend it with you."
"That makes me feel good. I want to go out with you, too! I just want to make sure the kids have what they need, if they need time with us. You know? Especially Gracie. I don't want her to feel like we're forgetting about her."
"Yes, we need to make sure she's still doing well. But I know she'll be happy for us. They'll all be. We'll have to make a few adjustments, but it'll be alright. And we'll have family time, too. But when we get home, I'll check my schedule. And I'll see what I might be able to finish a little faster, so I can be available once you and the children get home. Maybe I can give C.C. some extra things to do, too. I'll shift the schedule around if I need to, if I can. And there may be a few parties that I need to make an appearance at, and I really want to take you as my date, if you'd be up for that. For all of them." "Really?" Fran beamed.
"Of course. You're my best friend, and if, you know… if we're going to be dating… going out with each other… it would only make sense for the two of us to be seen together at all the events. And not as the nanny and her boss." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"I'd like that a lot! A whole lot! And when I get my first paycheck, I really want to take you out to celebrate. Maybe take everyone out. But that might depend on how big the paycheck is…" she said, thinking. Max laughed.
"Whatever you like, Fran." He squeezed her hand, and she smiled again. Then she thought of something.
"Oh, one other thing…" she said.
"What's that?"
"Um, when you're working at the house, if you're gonna be casting for a new show or anything…" Max raised his eyebrows. "Could you, um- would you… well, can you not have like a bunch of showgirls coming to the house? Especially if I'm not there? Well, even if I am there. Or actresses, or anything like that? I mean, it's just that, you know, wouldn't it be better to do casting at the theater? Or some kind of rehearsal space?" She asked. She tried not to sound jealous or insecure, but realized she must. Max sat up on his chair and leaned close to her.
"I don't see a problem with that at all. I know that would feel a little- inappropriate. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, either."
"You don't mind? I know that means you'd have to leave the house, to have a casting call somewhere else, and maybe that might interfere with a lunch date or two…"
"I won't let it interfere, Fran. That's what I used to do, before. I never had anyone but maybe an occasional backer or part of the production crew to the office at home- if we didn't have somewhere else to meet. Remember, there were young children in the house, and Sarah. And toys and things everywhere. I only started having people come over after… you know. I suppose maybe it was a lazy decision. I wasn't up for going out much, and all my papers and records were at the office at home. It just made things easier most of the time to have meetings at home. So yes, I don't mind doing that. And I want it to be a priority to have lunch with you. I'll schedule around that. And hopefully you won't have anything come up that gets in the way of that, either."
"Oh, I'll make sure of that!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, and he hugged her back. They'd never hugged each other before when they were clad in so little clothing. Fran didn't seem to be aware of what was happening, at least at first, but Max was completely aware. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, against her bare skin. She was hugging him tightly around the neck, and he could smell the sunscreen that covered her arm and shoulder. She lowered her arms to his shoulders and leaned back to look at him. "Thank you. I wasn't sure how to ask you that. I just- I don't know, I guess I'm feeling a little protective of you- of us. It kinda bothers me when other women pay attention to you. Or if you pay attention to them…"
"I feel the same way- when men pay attention to you. Or if you flirt with them. I always wanted that to be me."
"Well it will be, now. You'll have all of my attention. And it'll be nice, flirting with you. It's nice now, when you flirt with me. It gives me butterflies!"
"Really? Well, you give me butterflies, too." He smiled at her, and looked over her face, and her lips. They leaned close to each other, then kissed each other softly. She rested her forehead against his and grinned. She ran her hands across his shoulders.
"You really have been working out, haven't you?" She squeezed his shoulders and looked him over, and he laughed. He stroked her back with his thumbs.
"So have you." She grinned at him. "When we get home, we'll go over everything and see if we can make some plans. And once you know more about the job, we can talk again and see what to do."
"Okay. Thank you, Max." They separated from each other, and Fran lowered her chair back to the same level as Max's, and they rested back in their chairs. Max reached his hand over to hers again, and hooked her fingers in his, and they closed their eyes and enjoyed the warm breeze and the sound of the splashing waves.
They rested together like that for a good while, as they relaxed and thought about everything that had happened so far on their trip, and everything that would be coming up in the near future. They glanced at each other occasionally and smiled, and listened to the work going on up at the street for any cues that things might be wrapping up. They heard the sounds of small gas engines, likely from a chainsaw and the auger, things slamming around, beeping noises as the vehicles moved back and forth- warning others. They heard the doors slamming, some yelling by the men in a barely discernible French, and then a sound of what must have been another large vehicle joining them. Max thought for certain that must be the truck with the new utility pole. He wondered how long it might be now before the others could come back.
"Hey- I'm gonna run over there and see if I can see what progress they've made. I'll be right back!" Max said, as he lifted the back of his chair and got up, then walked quickly towards the house and the long walkway that led to it. As he got past the cliff-like hillside that blocked their view of the street and made it to the end of the walkway, he looked up the slope and saw the new truck with the utility pole. It had a long arm with a claw at the end, at it looked like they were preparing to grab the long log and lift it into position. Max watched for a moment as a man climbed up onto the truck near the arm and began working the controls. He had backed the truck into position, and all he had to do was slide the pole off the back of the truck and then lift the top end up. The bottom dropped into the hole that had been dug to receive it, then slowly the pole lifted up, bit by bit, until with a big THUD it dropped down into the hole, and the other men yelled to each other. The long arm was locked into position to hold the pole in place, and the other men got to work to permanently set it in place.
Max hurried back to Fran with a smile on his face.
"What is it? What was that noise?" Fran asked, as she sat her seat back up.
"That was the pole going in! I don't know how long the rest of it will take, but I would expect that was a big milestone. Once it's in for good, they can get the lines back up on it!"
"Oh, that's fantastic! It won't be long now!"
"No, it shouldn't be." He sat back down next to her. "So, what do you want to do? It might be hot inside the house now, so it might not be a great idea to go back inside just yet." He picked up the camera and wound a frame, then took off the lens cap and aimed it at Fran.
"Hey! I don't know. You want to go for another swim? I might go dip my feet in, cool off a little. But we need more sunscreen…" She smiled and reached over for the bag that held a bottle of sunscreen in it. Max grinned. He wouldn't mind putting some more on her. He watched as she poured some into her hand and began spreading it on her legs, then snapped a photo of her and wound the film again. She looked up at him and smiled, and he took another photo. "My hair better not be messed up, that's all I'm sayin'!" She smiled. Max set the camera down and reached for the bottle of sunscreen.
"Your hair is lovely. And so are you, Fran." He began spreading sunscreen on his legs and arms, then poured out a handful for his chest and handed the bottle back to her. She watched as he ran his hands across his pecs and down his stomach, then back up and across his arms. She attended to her own chest, belly, and arms, and then they both got to the point where they needed each other to cover their backs. Max reached for the sunscreen again as their eyes met, and then Fran turned her back toward him and lifted her hair. He poured some in his hand, then wiped it across her shoulders, and used both hands to work it down over her back. He tried to be quick about it, but found himself getting distracted as he looked her over, making sure he didn't miss a spot. He'd feel really guilty if she got any sunburn. Her back was incredible. She really had been working out more. He didn't remember her back looking quite so developed the last time he had seen her in a bikini. She was thinner then. Still very attractive- but now- now she was mesmerizing. He couldn't stop looking at her. And the feel of her as he slid his hands across her skin… He gulped hard.
"Okay, done! Now you're turn!" He blurted out, then handed her the bottle as he turned around quickly. He thought he could be blushing again, and he didn't want her to see.
Fran turned around to see his back and shoulders in front of her, and it almost took her breath away. She poured out the sunscreen across his shoulders and set the bottle down, then used both hands to spread it across his shoulders and neck, and everywhere she thought he might have missed- including his ears. He flinched from the tickle and they laughed, then she went back to attending to his back. She spread the rest of the sunscreen down over him, and could feel the muscles over the back of his ribs, and his shoulder blades, then down along his spine. She spread it around his sides and down to his swim trunks and looked him over, making sure she covered everything. With one last look at him, and a deep breath and a sigh, she handed him the bottle.
"Get some more on your face and forehead- I don't want you getting burned anywhere, okay?" He took the bottle from her and she got up and started walking toward the waves. After he quickly snapped a photo of her walking away, he watched her for a moment, then remembered, and got a blob of suncream rubbed it in his hands, then smeared it all over his face and forehead. He wiped his hands on his towel and jumped up, then ran to join her.
Fran stood in the water as the incoming waves crashed, then lapped up over her ankles. She looked out at the breaking waves all along the coast as far as she could see. Max appeared next to her, and stepped further into the water. He looked over at her and their eyes met, and they both smiled. He didn't have to say a word, and they both turned and started walking together, side by side, slowly through the cool water lapping around their legs. Max let his pinky stick out, and he caught hers, and they both curled them up, hanging on to each other's as they walked. Fran felt like they were almost having a quiet conversation with each other, even though no words were spoken. They looked off into the distance in front of them, then alternated with looking out at the waves, then down at their feet making their way through the wet sand and splashing waves.
Max couldn't remember the last time he felt this relaxed. He thought about how he was here, on vacation, in the South of France, with his best friend. Though he missed the children, he wasn't worrying about them, and he was glad he had this private time with Fran before they all came back. He tried to imprint this time in his mind, so he would never forget. If he ever struggled in the future, with anything, he would try to remember to bring this time with Fran back into his mind, because he knew it would make everything better.
Fran loved how Max held on to her pinky the way he did. It felt like a bashful, romantic gesture. He could really be sweet when he wanted to be. She watched their feet as they walked, and she appreciated how he slowed down and took shorter steps so she wouldn't have to feel like she had to run to keep up with him. They were walking so slowly, they were barely covering any ground. But covering ground wasn't the point of their walk. They were walking so they could create another experience together, and get away from the house and the chaos from the night before. They were walking to get to know each other in a different way. Soon, the children and Niles would be back, and they may have to work harder to get moments like these. And Fran wanted so many more moments like these. She loved how they had the whole beach to themselves, but also kind of wished there were people around to see the two of them together. She wanted everyone to know they were together- they were both taken. She imagined how when other people saw them, they might think to themselves how good she and Max looked together. She couldn't help but smile as she thought about it.
"Penny for your thoughts," Max said, as he turned to look at her. Fran looked over at him, still smiling. It made Max smile, too.
"Sorry, I was just wandering off, I guess."
"Not too far away, I hope…"
Fran tugged at his pinky. "No, no. I was just thinking how it's nice to have the beach to ourselves. But in a way I wish there were at least a few people around- you know, to see us like this."
"Mmm…" Max said. "You mean, like this?" He tugged at her pinky, then took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. She squeezed his hand in hers, then held onto his arm with her other hand, holding him close.
"Yeah!" She said, looking up at him.
"Others will see us soon enough. And it's really nice to have time like this with you. Just walking, holding hands, on the beach. In France." He grinned as she looked up at him again.
"Definitely." They continued their walk a little further, and Max turned back to see how far they'd gone.
"Can I invite you back out into the water? And maybe start heading back towards the house?" He stopped to face her.
"Yeah, I think I can do that. As long as the waves aren't too big."
"I'll try to watch for them. Just grab onto me if any of it makes you nervous."
"Okay." They turned, and he took her other hand, and they walked out into the water until it was just over her waist. Max crouched down into it so the water covered his shoulders. Fran stepped closer to him, and reached for him. He took hold of her and went a little deeper into the water. The waves lifted them slightly, then set them back down. Max carefully moved Fran to his side, so she was only holding onto him across his shoulders with one arm, then began tiptoeing and stroking at the water to help them both move back down along the beach toward their chairs and towels.
"You doing okay?" He asked.
"Yes! This is kinda fun! The waves aren't hitting so hard like they were before."
"No, they aren't. They're breaking a little closer to shore. This is the kind of water I like, nice, gentle rolling waves, not too deep either." They moved a little further, then Max stopped and let her hold onto him with both arms. "Do you want to try something?" He asked.
"Mr. Sheffield!" She squealed, and raised her eyebrow.
"Oh, no, no! Not that! I just mean, would you be up for maybe going for a dunk with me? Into the water?"
"You mean down, right here?"
"Yes- you hold on to me and I'll take you for a quick dip."
"Well, as long as I can hold onto you. Sure. But make it a quick one. And I'm gonna hold onto you with everything I've got." She pulled him in and wrapped her legs around his waist, and he wrapped his arms around her. "And I'm sorry for making you blush, with what I said.
"I blushed?"
"You always blush when I say things like that. But I love it when you blush!"
"You do?"
"Yes. It means you're a gentleman."
"Oh, well, good. That's what I strive to be. And don't apologize. It's kind of fun when we talk to each other like that. As long as it's just me that you say those sorts of things to."
"Oh, it will be. Now- about that dip…"
Max grinned, and they tightened their grip on each other, then he jumped up with her and down they both went, into the water together, and then back up to the surface. They caught their breath and started laughing together. Fran wiped the water from her face, then pushed Max's hair back. As another wave lifted them up, then set them back down, Fran continued to hold onto Max with her arms and legs, and he began walking them down the shore, turning around here and there, so she could also see where they were headed. As they approached the area close to the house where their chairs and umbrella still sat, Max came to a stop, then turned with Fran so she could see where they were.
"Well, we made it back, safe and sound," he said.
"We did. That was fun."
"I'm glad you liked it." Max kept his arms around her back, holding her to him, and she kept her legs around him, but loosened her grip around his shoulders. They found themselves looking at each other fondly, and Fran smiled.
"I should probably take my legs off of you, shouldn't I?" She asked.
"I don't mind. If it makes you feel safer." He meant to keep things innocent, but was fighting the urge to take hold of her thighs so she wouldn't lose her grip on him.
"I do feel safe, but I think I'm ready to go warm up in the sun for a bit." "Oh! Yes, alright! I'm sorry, are you really cold?" He asked, as she loosened her grip on him and let her legs fall. She still couldn't reach the bottom yet, so Max held onto her and walked her closer to the beach.
"I'm fine, Max. But let's go get some sun!" Once she touched bottom and could walk on her own, she reached for his hand and pulled him behind her. They walked through the splashing waves, and then across the sand to their chairs. They both reached for their towels to dry off, then Max moved the umbrella over a little to let the sun come down on them. They flopped down onto their chairs and grinned at each other.
"This sun does feel nice now, doesn't it?" He asked.
"Yes! It's wonderful! And thank you for all that. That was nice."
"Well, thank you. That'll be a fun memory to look back on." He smiled at her, and she reached for his hand.
"It will be." She gave his hand a squeeze, and leaned closer to him, and they both put on their sunglasses. They rested back against their chairs for a while and listened to the waves and felt the warm breeze across them.
Max found himself thinking about how things would be when they headed back home. Fran was no longer the nanny for his children. Would they be able to handle any issues that might come up with the children if the both of them were working? He knew there was a lot Niles could do to help, but he hesitated in asking him- expecting him- to do two jobs. But then he thought about things some more, and remembered it wasn't like years earlier, before Fran became their nanny. The children weren't struggling so much now. Maggie was very independent, and confident, and capable. Brighton wasn't getting into trouble, and had become a very accomplished student, and Gracie was barely going to therapy anymore, and was having fun like a young child should, instead of worrying about the state of the world. What was he worried about? If one of the children got sick, he and Niles surely could keep an eye on them at home. Was he worried about taking care of the children himself, or was he worried about Fran being away from home? Maybe she would enjoy the new job more than she enjoyed being a nanny. He looked over at her. Her eyes were closed, and she had her head tilted towards the sun. Who was he kidding? Of course she was going to enjoy her new job. But he was also going to miss her not being in the house. He would miss her a lot. At least they would be having lunch together as much as possible, and he was already planning for that to be every day. But he wanted to make sure the time they had alone together was special. He would have to think of a way they could have more nice times together.
"Fran?" He asked. She turned towards him.
"Yep?"
"If there's something you'd like to do before we leave, let me know. If you want to look for a souvenir, or shop for something in particular."
She looked at him curiously. "A souvenir?"
"Sure. You know, well- I don't necessarily mean like a t-shirt, or a key chain. Unless you want that. I mean something to remember this place by. Sometimes I like to look for art that would be easy to get back home- a small sculpture, or a print that I can get framed later. That sort of thing."
"Well, I'm expecting that there might be some photographs that I want copies of… And frames for." She smiled. "But yeah, I get it. I'll keep an eye out, if I see something. But you know, not far from that t-shirt idea- I wouldn't mind looking at some clothes, if we come across any nice shops. Maybe when you take me out to dinner- maybe we can go early and see what shops there are."
"Sure! We can do that. I wouldn't mind that. That would be nice to walk around the village a bit. Well, it's a date, then! Some shopping, and a nice dinner. How does that sound to you?"
"That sounds fantastic! Or should I say, fantastique!" Max laughed and patted her arm, then lifted her hand and kissed it.
Just then they heard a horn honking somewhere. They looked at each other and listened again. It honked several more times, much closer now.
"Could that be them?!" Max blurted out.
"Could it?! Come on, let's go see!" Fran exclaimed. They grabbed their towels and shirts and jumped up from the chairs, and Fran grabbed her hat as Max grabbed the camera. As they began rushing back towards the house, Fran pulled her large shirt on and tied it at the waist, and Max handed her the camera as he quickly pulled his shirt on. They jogged toward the walkway and saw the van with Niles and the children just attempting to turn onto the small bridge. Niles honked several more times and they waved their arms at them.
"It is them!" Fran and Max cheered in unison. They hurried up the walkway to the front door, and Max lifted the camera as the van approached and took a picture. Niles parked the van, and everyone was all smiles as they jumped out of the doors and came running towards Fran.
"Fran!" Gracie yelled, and ran straight for her. Fran held out her arms and caught her, and gave her a tight hug.
"Aw, Gracie! We missed you guys so much!" Fran said.
"We missed you guys, too! Daddy! We missed you!" Gracie jumped into Max's arms and he gave her a hug, too.
"Hello, sweetheart! We sure missed you, too." Brighton and Maggie hurried over and hugged them, and Niles headed for the back of the van and opened the door.
"Don't forget the groceries, children! I can't carry it all myself!" Niles said.
"Oh, yeah! We got tons of food! And I'm so hungry!" Brighton said. Maggie hugged Fran again, then ran over to help Niles.
"Here, let me get that front door open for you all. Do you need any more help, Niles?" Max asked.
"Well, let's see, here- you children take all of these and put them on the counter. I'll get this one. No, sir, I think we've got everything." Niles filled his arms and then shut the back of the van.
"Hey, kids?" Fran said. They all looked over at her. "Once we get all this inside, I need to talk to you all for a few minutes, okay? Then maybe we can go back down to the beach after. Our chairs are still down there."
"You went to the beach?" Maggie asked.
"Sure did." Fran grinned. Max helped the children in with the groceries, and then got them all set out on the counter. When Niles came in the door and shut it behind him, he looked over at Max and caught his eye, and gave him a look as if to ask, what happened? Max gestured back to him to let Fran tell him.
"So, did the market have power? How did you get all these things?" Max asked.
"Oh, they had a generator. I would guess that this wasn't the first time that sort of thing has happened here. So hopefully we should be set for groceries for the week. I can always run out again if we need more."
"Well, I'd like for us to go out to eat a time or two, also. Did you happen to see any good restaurants while you were up there?"
"Oh, yes! There are a few. The shopowners wife- Felicia, she said her brother owns the big place on the other side of the village- it has a terrace overlooking the beach down there. And there are several other smaller places. I marked some things on that map, including restaurants and stores," Niles said.
"Wonderful! That should be really helpful. Do you need help putting things away, or do you want to wait until the power comes back on?"
"When did they say the power would be back on?"
"Hopefully not too long. We can keep an eye on that truck. Once they have everything back together on the pole, it shouldn't be long after that." Niles stepped over to the window to have look at the men outside, one was on a ladder at the side of the house, and the other was up in the bucket at the pole, working hard to reconnect things.
"I suppose we can leave it out. I thought I would get to preparing for our dinner tonight, if you don't mind. Oh- by any chance was there a barbecue grill here?"
"Yes- Niles, up on the roof. It's all ready to go, charcoal and all."
"Oh, fantastic! Should we plan for a rooftop meal tonight?"
"Sure! Would you like that, children?" Max asked.
"Yeah!" They cheered. "But can we go to the beach first?"
"Yeah, we'll go to the beach in a little bit, but before you guys get changed, I really need to talk to you all about some stuff. You too, Niles," Fran said. The kids looked at Fran, then at each other. Niles looked over at Fran, then at Max, then back at Fran.
"Talk to us about what?" Maggie asked. Gracie stepped close to Fran and reached for her hand. Fran looked down at Gracie and put her arm around her.
"Well, some things have happened, and it's gonna change things quite a bit once we go home," she began. Everyone looked back and forth at each other.
"I knew something was going on!" Brighton mumbled. "Are you okay, Fran? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah sweetie, I'm fine. But I guess that means you saw me being a little weird. Not being myself." Brighton nodded. "Well, see guys… what happened is that I got a job offer last week. And I kinda- I need to know if you kids would be okay with me not being the nanny anymore." She let that sink in with them for a moment.
"Not be the nanny anymore?!" Niles blurted out.
"But why? Are you leaving? Why were you looking for another job?" Gracie asked. Maggie was quiet.
"No, baby- I wasn't looking for another job. It just happened- this lady at a clothing store I like to go to- she, uh, well, I guess I made an impression on her. Apparently I helped them sell a lot of stuff, just because I was talking to some other customers. And I guess she saw that. So, last week, I went back there to look for a dress for this trip- and she saw me, and wanted to talk to me. And, well, she offered me a really good job there. And it pays really well. I told her we were going on vacation, so she said I could let her know my decision when we got back to New York. So that's what's been on my mind all this time. I was really worried about telling you guys." She took a deep breath and continued. "You all know I wasn't going to be your nanny forever- you guys are growing up fast, and you don't need me so much."
"We do too need you, Fran!" Brighton snapped. His heart was racing. He looked over at his father for some backup, but got none.
"Not as a nanny. And Gracie, you're getting bigger, and getting more involved with stuff at school. You're doing really well. And with this job- it just made me think a lot about what I might want to do in the future, after being your nanny. I mean, what are the chances of me getting another offer like this in the future, if I don't take this one? But I've been pretty torn up about things, thinking about leaving you guys and maybe having to move back to Queens or someplace, until I could afford to rent an apartment somewhere." All the children looked at each other, wide eyed, then they and Niles looked over at Max, almost angry. Max was looking down at the counter as he listened to Fran speak.
"Fran! But you can't leave! Daddy, can't you offer her more money to stay?" Maggie scolded.
"Margaret, just hear her out. Please." Max looked at Maggie, then back at Fran, encouraging her to continue.
"Maggie, it's okay. That's the thing. I was really worried about that part, about having to move out, and away from you guys, and how much I'd miss you all- that if I took the job, I didn't know when we'd get to see each other again. And I thought your father would be mad at me, or hurt. Really hurt. And of course I thought you guys would be really mad and upset, and I can see that you are. But your father and I- we talked about everything. I guess this storm turned out to be a good thing, because it made us have to talk about everything that was going on with me. I couldn't avoid it anymore. And you kids have to know- and Niles, too…" Fran let go of Gracie and stepped over closer to Max. "You kids have to know that your father is really wonderful. He told me that I was a part of the family, and just because I might take another job, that it didn't have to mean that I had to move out. And that we could work something out about me staying in my room, maybe a sort of tradeoff if I could still help out with you kids if you need me to. And I may have some negotiating room with the job, so I can work the hours that I want to work, and not be gone too much. I'll be working weekdays, so you kids will be at school anyways. You won't miss me much. So, after we talked about it all, I kind of told your father that I quit. So technically, right now, I'm not your nanny anymore. I'm gonna take the job."
"But you're staying with us, right? Daddy, she's staying, isn't she?" Maggie asked.
Max smiled and pulled Fran to him, putting his arm over her shoulders. "That she is. She's family, I'm not going to kick her out. And even if you children may not really need a nanny anymore, you still need Fran. And I do, too. Because she's my best friend. She's more than my best friend. And speaking of which, you all will have to keep yourselves busy tomorrow evening, because I'm taking Fran out on a date, for dinner. Which is partly why I was asking you about restaurants, Niles." The others all looked at each other, then back at Fran and Max and cheered.
"What?!" Niles yelled out. "You're taking Ms. Fine out on a date? Oh, hallelujah!" Niles clasped his hands together and shook them, and the kids cheered and rushed over to hug Fran, and then their father.
"Oh, I'm so happy, Fran! You get to stay with us! I don't ever want you to leave!" Gracie said, hugging Fran around the middle. Brighton did a dance around in a circle, then punched his father lightly on the arm.
"Thank you, dad! I was about to freak out there for a minute!" He said.
"Oh, I know!" Maggie added. "Me too! I was so about to tear you up if she said she was leaving us." Max grinned.
"I can't imagine not having Fran around, either. We talked about a lot of things, and even with her taking this new job, it didn't make any sense for her to leave us. And by her taking this job, it made it easier to stop seeing her as an employee of mine. She's my friend. My best friend. And as long as she's okay with it, we'll be going on as many dates as we can, because I'm going to miss her when she's at work and not at the house."
"Oh, I'll be okay with all the dates! And I'll take you out on some too!" She hugged Max around the waist. Maggie elbowed Brighton, and he elbowed her back. Niles was beaming, he was so happy.
"Well, this calls for a celebration, doesn't it? Why don't you all get out of here, and I'll start working on getting dinner going. And I've got some wonderful desserts for us tonight, too, if you'd like."
"That would be nice, Niles. And thank you again for all of your help with the children, and also for getting the groceries. And once the electricity is back on, you get the first shower, alright?" Max said.
"Oh, thank you. That's not really necessary, but thank you."
"No worries, old man. You've done a lot already, and we're still at the beginning of our vacation. And just think how nice a hot shower will be."
"Oh, no kidding!" Maggie said. "I can't wait for a shower!"
"Well, maybe you can have the next one. As long as we have hot water, we'll make sure everyone gets one tonight, alright? And tomorrow, after breakfast, if it's okay with everyone- I'd like for us all to drive up the coast a little ways and see some of the other villages. Maybe we can do a little shopping and have lunch somewhere. Then we can come back here so you all have time at the beach again."
"That's fine with me!" Brighton said. "But can we get our swimsuits on now and go down there before the sun goes down?"
Max and Fran laughed.
"Go!" Fran said, pushing the kids away. "Go get your suits on, and sunscreen! And Brighton, put on a swim shirt. I don't want you getting burned. And you can bring down whatever equipment you want to try out, and chairs too. We'll meet you all down there, okay?"
"Yeah! Come on, Gracie! Let's go!" Maggie said, and all the kids scrambled down the hallway and shut the bedroom doors to get changed. Niles was smiling from ear to ear, and was arranging the groceries from the bags on top of the counter. Max lifted up the camera and snapped a picture of him.
"Oh! What's that for? I'm a mess! I haven't shaved…"
"Relax, Niles. Neither have I. We've just been taking photos of things, so we don't forget this trip. It's been pretty crazy so far."
"Oh, no kidding!" Niles said. "Miss Margaret had her little camera with her, too. She took some photos as well. They loved the little dogs that were there, and the dogs really took to them, too."
"Oh, that's so sweet! I can't wait to see the pictures! Oh- Niles, that was another thing-" Fran said, then she turned to Max. "We really need to try to do something with them, that family."
"Yes, we do. Niles, I wanted to try to see if we might take them out to dinner with us one evening before we go. Do you think we might be able to do that? Maybe at that restaurant? The big one? Do you think we could arrange something like that?"
"Oh, yes, sir! That would be wonderful! Maybe we could call them, that is- once we have the phone line back up. That would be really nice, I'm sure they would appreciate that. And speaking of which, the agent and the owner came by, and I believe they gave the shopowner a check. I didn't want to intrude, so I didn't ask. But did you speak with them about that? About paying them something?"
"Yes, I did. I told the owner that if she wanted to refund a night, to please pay that over to them, since they were so helpful. I'll check with them at some point to make sure that's what happened."
"Wonderful. Well, if you don't mind, let me get started on all this, and get the barbecue going as well. I'll call for you all when everything is ready."
"Alright. Oh, Fran, do you want a water bottle?" Max asked, heading for the fridge.
"Yes, please!" Max grabbed two bottles of water, then came back over to Fran, handed her one, then took her hand.
"Well, Niles, thank you again for everything. I mean that. And expect a bonus in your next paycheck."
"Oh, you're very kind, sir! But that's really not necessary."
"Sure, it is." Max smiled. "Well, we'll be down at the beach if you need us."
"Yes, sir! And Ms. Fine, congratulations! On everything!" He smiled at her.
"Thank you, Niles." Max gave her hand a tug, and they hurried out the front door and back down to the beach.